#the dark prince - the villain of so many other stories - is more than just the hero of his own

[pyrrhiccomedy]

THE WHITE DOOR

He never called her “the woman he loved” until she was dead in his arms. 

Her killer was a a man whom Bastian admired; but Bastian wronged him anyway, and he was savage and exacting in his vengeance. So: Bastian too is savage and exacting, and far less admirable. 

Though revenge provided no abatement of his grief, it was required by the circumstances.

It is not enough by far.

He readies his companions to set out for the continent of Death itself. He knows only one man who has been there, and that man returned blinded, bitter, and heartbroken: but the dark prince loves his wife, and a knife will not keep him from her. Nor will the endless miles of the white countries, nor the threat of mutilation, nor the will of any God.

He expects horror. He will bring it himself.

His wise wife, his fairy wife: he trusts she knows that he is coming.

[memoria-99]

IkePri routes short comments and personal rankings

* All of these are my personal thoughts.

1st Gilbert

Traumatized villain with death wish. Not a fun route, relatively heavy plots, twisted romance, but a good "villain" route. Emma has real great mentality and very brave, loved how she handled the situation and the relationship. Also the best adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast" theme.

2nd Clavis (Tie)

Four-dimensional troublemaker. The first half was funny thanks to all sorts of weird events and the second half was interesting to see dealing stuff this guy was secretly doing. I liked the romance and chemistry between the two. Emma was very cool and proactive.

2nd Silvio (Tie)

Sharp tongued, materialistic brat. Endless bickering between the two was overall fun to read and though there were moments that I wanted to punch this guy, eventually grew to like him. Used to wonder why so many people love this brat but I get why. Loved how sassy Emma was too.

3rd Nokto

Sly playboy. I think I like these kind of foxy character. Has a sad past. I liked the route because the guy was very smart and Emma was quite cool. What I didn't like was that the romance seemed to be leaning toward too erotic after the two became official.

4th Yves

Star-crossed tsundere kitty. The guy himself was very cute, and the romance between the two was cute and heartwarming as well. But they are both grown ass adults in their 20s and yet their romance was like that of teens.... why.

5th Chevalier

Coldhearted genius. The second best adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast" theme. I liked the process of Emma taming him. But didn't quite like that the guy has the upperhand still. This was the only route that Emma didn't call her suitor only by given name till the very end, so...

6th Licht

Severely depressed one. I liked the heavy story and realistic romance. But, although he's kind he has almost no self-esteem, is a master of self-deprecation, and his past is seriously dark, making me feel depressed as well. I know he's loved by many, but just not my cup of tea.

7th Leon

Charismatic, good-natured brother type. Typical fairytale prince. Has a sad past, but speaking of past, there're handful who are worse than him here... The most ordinary route. I don't remember much honestly.

8th Keith

Double personality. One is very kind and the other is rather bratty. Whole premise itself was interesting but two are so different... and made the romance look like a weird love triangle.

9th Rio

Loyal doggo who always loves Emma. But the route was kinda disappointing, I think it's only meaningful in a way that his love met a happy ending for once.

10th Sariel

Felt more like a "common route" in other games where romance does not exist. I didn't see much meaningful interaction between the two. At least I liked that Emma did best in her role as Belle in this route, but that's all.

11th Jin

Seriously remember nothing about the route except that it was very boring.

12th Luke

A sleepy bear turned into a crazy bear.

PLUS

1. I love the ways "sinner" LIs are written in this game, including Gilbert and Licht, and how Emma deals with those. Instead of trying to just reassure it's okay don't let that bother you, she's like "I know what you did cannot be forgiven, nothing can change that, but I'll embrace even that part of you and lead you to step forward"

2. I love that in the two bastards' route Emma ended up 'winning' them. In Gilbert's it was mentioned that he's the one who was conquered, and Silvio's he thought that it looks like he's the one with the collar.

[tragicbeauty1991]

So I know I’m extremely late to the party, but I FINALLY got around to watching Wish now that it’s up on Disney+ and…I genuinely don’t understand why it got so much hate?? Sure, maybe it wasn’t on par with things like The Lion King or Frozen in terms of the lasting effect it’ll have on pop culture but it was still a good, fun film with original characters and plot and catchy songs. While I can see where some of the complaints are coming from, I feel like ultimately most of them blow the issues out of proportion. As for my personal thoughts on the film…

- The songs were good overall. Maybe not as memorable as some of my favorite ‘90s Disney jams, but topping Phil Collins and Elton John is admittedly hard to do. Ariana DeBose and Chris Pine were great, though. I honestly had no idea Chris Pine could sing so well. “At All Costs” was by far my favorite song of the entire film. I would have loved to see it as a love duet rather than singing to the wishes but regardless, it’s beautiful. “This is the Thanks I Get” got a lot of flak, but honestly, I thought it was catchy and fun—rather reminiscent of Gaston’s pub song about himself.

- Speaking of Magnifico… More backstory, please! I would love for a sequel to do what they did with Frozen and explain all the things that were not fully developed in the first film. I want to know details on what happened to Magnifico’s family… But man, oh man… Was I EVER happy to get a “real villain” again with more of a classic Disney feel—dramatic, over the top, a little unhinged…and just FUN. I think the reason so many people seem to be having a problem with him is that they don’t quite know how to categorize him, though, before his ultimate downward spiral after being possessed by the book. (I think after that point, no one would argue about him being a villain.) But before…while he’s definitely narcissistic and has a temper…he’s not straight-up evil. There’s a big difference in being a bit of a jerk and being someone who makes you legitimately fear for your life. In fact, we have several heroic characters in the Disney canon who at least start out their story in a similar vein. Prince Naveen, Peter Pan, and Emperor Kuzco, for example, are all full of themselves and entitled…but they ultimately choose to do the right thing when it comes down to people they care about. That is to say, Magnifico’s less than ideal character traits we see early on in the film shouldn’t automatically qualify him as a villain. He could frankly go either way. And then when he does “go dark” it’s ONE stupid decision on his part (going for the book) that ruins any chance he had of being like the aforementioned characters. Personally, I like the complexity…and the tragedy of what it means for Queen Amaya. Which reminds me…

- Yes, a villain power couple would have been fun. But honestly, I think I like this better. Partly because of the angst potential here. For all his faults, Amaya DOES genuinely love him, and watching him slowly lose his mind and himself to the power-hungry monster he becomes has to be absolutely heartbreaking for her. Also…maybe it’s just because I identify with Amaya here. I have been in a bad relationship where I did truly love the other person and thought they loved me…but ultimately, they seemed to love themselves more. And I made excuse after excuse for his behavior for a long time because I couldn’t see what he was doing to me…didn’t want to see it…because I loved him. People say Amaya had to have known sooner that something rotten was going on but I don’t know that she ever allowed herself to think anything other than the best of him. Amaya has a good heart…and sometimes those people see the best in others even when it isn’t there. What I really would have loved is to have Amaya and Magnifico sing a short reprise of “At All Costs” in which Amaya is asking, “Really? You’ll hoard all these wishes for your own selfish reasons even at the cost of losing your people’s love? Of losing me?” And Magnifico is just…stoically resolute. That would have hurt but it would have been so good!

- Similarly, I don’t get the complaint about Star. I wouldn’t mind seeing Star Boy like he was in the concept art and having a romance with Asha. But also…Star is ADORABLE, okay?? He may not speak but he has so much personality. Makes me think of like…Pascal in Tangled or even Tinkerbell.

- I know a lot of people complained about there being too many references to other Disney films but this just seems like a silly argument to me. Disney has always liked to leave little Easter eggs in their films and have some fun with crossovers. I am thinking of the Genie imitating Pinocchio and pulling Sebastian out of nowhere in Aladdin. Hidden characters in the background of other films like Flynn and Rapunzel showing up in Arendelle. Hidden Mickeys. And of course shows that were all about a Disney multi-verse that sort of pokes fun at itself like Once Upon a Time, House of Mouse, and even Ralph Breaks the Internet. With this being a special anniversary film, of course we ought to expect more nods to other films and Disney animation history. I thought it was cute. Especially Magnifico’s jab at Asha’s little moving drawing. (“Is that a talent?”) Made me literally laugh out loud.

- I think the one complaint I do agree with at least in part is the, “But Magnifico was right, though??” Some dreams shouldn’t come true. Especially if it’s a wish you’re making when you’re 18. There are definitely things I wished for at 18 that I am glad I did not get in hindsight. Sometimes what we wish for isn’t what’s best for us or others. And while Asha’s wishes are selfless and for others…she seems to assume that everyone else will also have equally harmless, selfless wishes. It’s sweet but perhaps a bit naive. Also…Asha has good intentions but it is rather funny and frustrating as the adult to watch this teenager come in and try to upset the whole system thinking she knows better than the person who has been running the kingdom for years. That said… Asha isn’t totally wrong either. The wishes do ultimately belong to the people who made them and it’s better even if it’s painful to have a dream in your heart than to be lacking purpose. It may be easier to forget the wishes entirely but certainly not healthier. Ironically, if only these two could have worked together, they actually would have made a great team.

Overall, I liked the film. And I think if I was still a child myself, I would have enjoyed it even more.

[another-lost-mc]

Have you played other otome games? 👀

I actually play a few different ones. 😂

It’s not technically an otome game but Twisted Wonderland is the game I play most after Obey Me. The story is so fun and well-written. Crowley is my favourite character—I’m working on a twst side blog to dump my incoherent screeching about him.

I love Arcana Twilight but the story is…done? On hiatus? I don’t know but I’m holding onto hope that we’ll eventually get more later.

I really like the Ikemen series — I haven’t tried Villains yet but I love Revolution/Sengoku/Vampire/Prince.

What In Hell Is Bad is awesome lol. I really like the artwork and it’s nice for something casual to play even though the translation kind of sucks.

I re-play Mystic Messenger when I’m bored, I think Jumin, V and Ray/Saeran are my favourite routes.

I played Dangerous Fellows casually just for Lawrence (worth it).

I used to play Court of Darkness but so many of the suitors were just…not it. The stories or the MC (or both) let me down more often than not.

Special shout-out to the numerous visual novel and PC games I play too: A Date with Death, Blooming Panic, Error 143 and 14 Days with You are some of my favs.

[hadesoftheladies]

FEMALE MOVIE/TV RECS (PART 1 / FANTASY)

got inspired from a recommendation post so decided to make a list of movies and shows with female-centric stories/female protagonists. since i can't post all of the genres in one post, i'll split it into multiple posts and y'all can save or add to the list as you wish. (disclaimer: i have watched most of these, but i only know about the existence of others. not every movie/show on these lists will be my recommendation. my recommendations will be beneath the list with reasons. also some of these are way better than others in terms of storytelling/performance--which is why i'll list my faves separately):

#1. FANTASY/ADVENTURE (LIVE ACTION)

Common Themes of Media In the List:

-Strong female friendships

-Romance critical (or anti-romantic centrism)

-Emphasis on female-female relationships

-Warrior girls and women

-Revenge against awful men

-Distrust of male love interests

Ones I Haven't Watched:

His Dark Materials

Everything Everywhere All At Once

Paradise Hills

Crimson Peak

Outlander

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

House of the Dragon

The Nevers

Cursed

NOT LISTED BUT QUALIFIES

Pan's Labyrinth

Mary Poppins

Twilight

The Craft

The BFG

PERSONAL NOTES FOR THE ONES I'VE WATCHED

The School for Good and Evil

5/10

There were many things about it that were good. The chemistry between the two leading actresses, the primacy of friendship over romance, the effects, the costume and set design, the insane cast (Charlize Theron, Cate Blanchett, Michelle Yeoh, Kerry Washington?!) and the score. Some of the performances were good, too. The pitfalls of the film had more to do with the writing and directing. Some scenes were rushed, some dialogue was embarrassingly bad, some plot points were just nonsensical and childish. The magic system was also not well executed (though I've seen worse).

It's mostly mid, but the ending is refreshing for the fairytale genre and if you like fairytale fluff, you'll probably be more willing to forgive the film's transgressions. If you can, there'll be a lot of fun left to have with it.

2. Damsel

6.5/10

More action than fantasy and with a much smaller cast. Most of the movie focuses on Millie's character. The performances in this were pretty good, though. If you like heroines getting revenge, non-cliche fantasy stories involving princesses, and dragons, this movie is right up your alley! Also the costuming is delightful! It's predictable, but it is also entertaining.

3. Willow

7/10

This show was just fun. Fantastic effects, female heroics, tomfoolery, lesbians, action, evil forces, cool costuming, lesbians, sword-play, riddle-solving, dumbass princes, sarcastic mentors, and lesbians! This show knew exactly what it was trying to be. Aside from some poor performances, my overall impressions is positive.

4. Wednesday

7/10

I personally enjoy Wednesday Addams' character wherever I see her. Having a whole show of her was just a treat. I didn't care for the typical highschool-shenanigans (like the cliques) as much, but there were many enjoyable elements in this for me. Particularly, the effects, the crime, the other female characters, and the ending. It's entertaining and pretty to look at. Also I'm always on my wenclair propaganda.

5. Shadow & Bone

6/10

I've read the Six of Crows duology and the first book of the Shadow & Bone trilogy, so for me this show was a let down. For new watchers, however, you'll find interesting female characters, cool effects, and an entertaining (though sometimes choppy) plot. Inej Ghafa is my queen forever, regardless.

6. Renegade Nell

7/10

This is puts the fantasy in revenge fantasy. I love all the actresses from Derry Girls, and Louisa Harland is still charming in this. It's basically if Gentleman Jack (same director, I think) and Tinkerbell teamed up. Or if Little Women was also Pirates of the Caribbean but instead of taking to the sea it was highway robbery! The action sequences are so fun, the villains are nuanced (particularly the villainess) the comedy isn't overbearing (like I forgot I was watching a Disney show tbh) and the silly towel boy from Ted Lasso is here! I personally had fun. I hope it's renewed.

7. Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass

7/10 (i love these so much so it's 8/10 for me)

It sucks that Depp is in this, but I can never ever forsake my girl Mia Wasikowska. I just love these movies. I love the design, the music, the costumes, the irreverence toward marriage and romance, Alice's personality and relationship with her mother, how it tackles the pathologisation of female autonomy, the performances, etc. The books are one of my favorite books of all time so there's that.

8. Maleficent

7/10

I really loved the performances in this, the metaphor for rape, the satisfying revenge. I don't mind that it was cliché. I love Maleficent movies. AND the Lana Del Ray cover for "Once Upon A Dream." Also, the first one makes me tear up every time. The mother-daughter love is just so touching to me.

9. Warrior Nun

(?/10)

I love the premise of this show and I can get behind the characters. The protagonist just annoyed me so much so often I have taken multiple breaks and can't remember the story. I am all for imperfect, asshole girl characters. But this protagonist was just whiny and careless beyond reason. And it was taking too long for her to get with the nuns. Like I was not invested enough in her running away arc. Like sis get your ass to the coven you are not that main of a character!

She took up so much screentime when literally every other character in the show was more interesting than she was.

At least there's lesbians.

10. Snow White & The Huntsman

(8/10)

What can I say? Kristen Stewart was hot in this, as was stepmother. Effects? Stellar. Direction? Stellar. Performance? Mostly stellar. Drama? Action? Magic? All there. Thoroughly entertaining. Refreshingly anti-Disney. Unfortunately there are some annoying men involved (I'm talking about the dwarves of course) but it never gets too overbearing. This is, however, the least feminist of the entire list and scores lowest on the above common themes.

[shady-tavern]

A little poll to help me decide

Just so you know, I will still write both, but you guys get to decide which one gets to be finished and published first!

Little WIP excerpts for both stories under the cut (subject to change, these are still rough outlines, so be aware that the final product might look different):

Fantasy Story (currently only titled "nyeh!"):

You had once heard that being cursed was the worst thing in the world. To be twisted into something else, to no longer be capable, to lose your youthful beauty, your voice or whatever else you valued. To be forced to hide in the dark and stare longingly at people going on about their day.

How happiness was leeched away, food tasting lackluster and smells itching in your nose and nothing felt right anymore. Like looking through cracked glasses.

But curses weren't anything you had to content yourself with. They were about as important to your life as distant kingdoms and great battles with heroes slaying equally great foes, of dragons nesting on top of mountains and fae princes stealing away mortal women to make their queens.

That hadn't always been the case for your family, however. Your ancestors had been great mages and adventurers, people with big names and bigger legacies. People who had awed and charmed and impressed the populous to the point where they were still spoken about, their portraits found in history books.

There was even a portrait of one of your great-great-grandma's in the local library, painted by someone with magical powers, for it looked like she was going to leap straight out of the painting on her horse.

She was a gorgeous woman with a kind face and a brave set to her shoulders and she had protected the entire barony you lived in against an ancient evil. She had been the first to make a name for herself and all her children followed in her footsteps.

Well, until your grandparents and their children. Every time you walked past her portrait on your way to class, you wondered if she was disappointed. If she had known that the greatness in her bloodline would run dry like a river.

Your parents certainly thought so, the bitterness and fear over being mundane well instilled into them by their already magic-less grandparents. Family gatherings were a tense and somber occasion and you hated them. Every time you were asked if your magic had shown already. If you were, finally, at long last, the one to break the streak of misfortune.

As though they could claw their way up to greatness through you. Even at a young age, you realized you didn't want that. Their expectations felt like boulders being strapped to your person and then being told to go climb a mountain.

Looking at the painting, at the regal woman portrayed who had saved so many and had been humble all her life, using her skills to better those around her, you decided that she would not have been disappointed in you.

Sometimes you imagined her voice when you sat curled up at your desk, eyes heavy from studying and your parents voices echoing in your head, telling you to look at more magic tomes. As though they could will magic into your veins by tossing as much spell theory at you as possible.

You imagined that your great-great-grandma would gently pat your head and tell you that it was alright. You had done well and should go to sleep, she'd take care of things. You imagined her saying all the things history books had written down and that bards sang about even to this day.

How she would cradle the week, encourage the cowardly and shelter the injured. 

Your other ancestors were just as impressive, but...she was always seemed more present than they did. It was probably because of the painting, though. You knew your family's history well enough, you had studied everything trice over.

Sometimes it frustrated and hurt you, that your parents and grandparents couldn't just be happy. They had more money than they could ever need, the people still spoke highly of your family and they were welcomed warmly. Your uncle was even advising the king despite having as much magic as a dresser drawer.

"I'll leave when I'm old enough," you told the portrait in a whisper. "I'll go somewhere no one knows me and I'll be happy."

If a painting could look encouraging, this one did. Or, so you imagined.

*.*.*

Hero/Villain Story (currently titled "Heart Song"):

The world was full of music and to you, that was beautiful. Everyone you met was surrounded by a melody, some louder and some quieter, some sad and some joyful, some struggling and changing tunes as they tried to find themselves and others marching forward, no matter the mismatched tones and half-broken sounding lyrics.

It had been a struggle, growing up, to not get lost in the music constantly. Your parents hadn't understood what was going on, dragging you to doctors and trying out different medication, until you had been old enough to find the words, the proper explanation, to tell them how you saw the world. 

A gifted child, your lot were called. People born with abilities that showed as early as when they were infants or sometime late in their adulthood. But the powers always revealed themselves and very, very rarely were not put to use.

You had found yourself responding to melodies that had wanted to be heard and seen and recognized even before you understood what they were, singing back at them clumsily until they had lost a hurt edge, until they had found meaning, until the song surrounding a person's heart rang like clear bells with the sounds of hope-relief-healing.

Becoming a hero had, in a way, been the only sensible conclusion. You wanted to help and you could help, so why wouldn't you? Why wouldn't you help sand down rough edges, help people over a bump in their road, help someone hurting to find the strength to reach out?

Your parents had thankfully been the sensible ones and had cautioned you against accepting just any hero gig, any contract that was extended to you. You had been so excited you had nearly accepted the first offer without question.

But...hero contracts, as you had quickly learned, were rather intense. There was so much red tape surrounding everything and your parents really hadn't liked some of the wording of some of the passages and with great reluctance and perhaps a couple of tears, you had tossed the offers for a job into the trash.

Right up until Redemption & Recovery had reached out to you. They had been a comparatively tiny organization back then, doing their best to help others with the funding they got. Almost all members were volunteers and they offer they extended had, admittedly, looked pitiful compared to the promised salary of the big hero offices.

But their offer had been just what you had looked for. Next to no red tape and your values and their aligned. The moment your parents gave their tentative green light you had called them straight away, telling them you wanted to work with them.

In the years that had followed, you had made quite the name for yourself and the organization, which had grown in members and funding until it was one of the biggest. You were so proud of everyone and their hard work. 

While you had become the face of R&R, fighting and going to interviews and fan meetings and doing your best to be present online, everyone else had been hard at work behind the scenes. Networking and outlining and signing contracts and keeping the unyielding desire to make the world better alive, no matter how big the organization got.

Redemption & Recovery focused heavily on not only offering recovering villains all the tools to keep healing and improving, but they also offered services to the public to help people stay away from the villain business in the first place.

You still didn't have much of a salary compared to other famous heroes, but that worked just fine for you. You rather donated as much as you could feasibly give to R&R, to help finance the services they offered, the therapists and doctors they had on the payroll, as well as housing aid and financial advisors to help people get back on their feet.

You still received offers from the big offices, who hoped to poach you from R&R and the latest offer had you choking on your breakfast when you had seen the salary and other perks they had offered. It had still gone into the trash, because the red-tape situation had been as bad as ever.

Besides, you were perhaps a bit...unique, among the heroes. The big offices would probably find working with you rather headache inducing.

You raced around a corner, heart in your throat at the sound of hurt-terror-helplessness that filled the air ahead of you as thickly as the dust and smoke that had yet to settle. You leapt over rubble and debris, your breath catching when you heard another bit of building crumble somewhere to the left.

And among the injured civilians, the panicked people, one melody rang louder than the others. Loud enough to drench everything in agony-hatred-despair like a wailing siren.

You had heard bits and pieces of this particular melody in the past and you knew exactly who it belonged to. Eclipse, a high-level villain known for laying waste to entire city blocks whenever he appeared. 

He was one of the villains who broke heroes left and right if they weren't strong enough to stand up to him and who had endangered many a civilian carelessly. No death count yet, but he was getting closer and closer to it every time he appeared.

Official sources weren't sure if he even had full control of his powers, considering the often haphazard destruction and his at times visible frustration. Whatever was going on, however, everyone agreed that he needed to be stopped before he ended up killing, no matter if it was intentional or not.

Eclipse's focused face turned into a mask of fear the moment he noticed you from the corner of his eye, head snapping around to stare at you.

[youranemicvampire]

Thoughts and opinions on The Little Mermaid (2023) with SPOILERS.

First of all, i'm so happy to be able to watch it. I've been waiting for it since 2019. And the casting announcement was the reason i became a fan of Chloe x Halle

The casting is perfect! I'm really a sucker for a good casting so....

Halle Bailey is everything Ariel. TBH, it feels like she's not acting that hard coz her expressions and voice are naturally Ariel. She's born to be a Disney princess. I could not imagine another person playing this role. From her face, features, physique, height and voice. She's a whole package.

Jonah Hauer-King is indeed charming. When his casting got announced, i never doubted him coz from his looks, he also has this Disney and Princely face. And i even like his version of Prince Eric better than the animated one.

Melissa McCarthy is great. She is actually terrifying lol but my complaint is that her make-up is lacking and then i found out that a straight person made it. I don't see the Drag in her face. It should have been better. Way better. They should have hired a queer make-up artist or someone in the Drag scene.

I know we all hate Awkwafina, but she actually has this annoying bird voice that is right for the role.

It's my first time to see Jessica Alexander act and whew! I think i might have a new crush. And she's bisexual??? I stan!

I don't have that much say for the other casts, but they are all great and visually amazing.

I expected a lot of changes, but i think it's good that they only changed the things that are necessary. It felt more genuine.

It's not that dark! It was just the right level of darkness for the scenes that are meant to be dark. The day scenes are actually colorful.

I saw a take about the sea creatures not being animated and expressive enough, but i think it's more of the CGI limitations, not the movie itself.

Having said that, Flounder could've been better. Still cute tho.

Halle and Jonah's chemistry is amazing. I'm a hetero-hater, but i was gushing in the theatre. Ariel and Eric are the best Disney live-action couple 💯 And Jalle's friendship offscreen is cute and wholesome.

I'm also a big musical fan so this live-action is special to me because they actually casted a singer and not just a basic one. What i hated about other Disney live-actions is the autotune. It's so annoying.

One of the minor issues i have is that i wished they didn't release too many stills and clips. I was kinda pissed on the "Under the sea" part coz i already saw the majority of it on social media. I wanted to be surprised because that scene was so fun and magical.

They should definitely have a sequel, a prequel, and a mermaid sisters spin-off. It would be a waste to only see them once especially Halle and Jonah's chemistry. The sisters are also too beautiful not to have their own stories coz from how they look, they have really different identities.

People complain too much on animal designs, but ignore the mermaid tails of Ariel and her sisters.

I'm also proud of Halle's acting coz i watched her on Grown.ish and her acting skills and confidence really improved by miles. Even when she lost her voice, she was very expressive. She didn't even have to try that much.

For me, this is the 2nd best Disney live-action so far. My first is still Maleficent.

Idk if I still need to say this, but the soundtrack is on-repeat after I watched. I actually want to rewatch the whole thing with subs coz i can't understand the British accent. lol

Halle Bailey needs to be in more musicals. I just can't get enough. Jessica Alexander should also be in more villain roles. Sapphic villain specifically 🥵

I also liked how Ariel and Prince Eric were longing for each other's world you know. It's a story about freedom really, not wanting to be boxed, and wanting to explore no matter how dangerous it is. It's such a queer allegory. And it's special knowing the original version of Hans Christian Andersen.

[themattress]

An observation based on these posts I've made.

It's been longtime commonly accepted wisdom that Naoko Takeuchi didn't know how to do villains well in the Sailor Moon manga, and that the 90s anime handled villains much better.

And I have to say....

No, that's wrong!

The truth is actually a little more complicated than that.

Naoko Takeuchi has, in fact, written some fleshed-out and nuanced villains. Danburite, Kunzite, Queen Beryl, Rubeus, Esmeraude, Safir, Prince Demande, Professor Tomoe, the Amazoness Quartet, Sailor Tin Nyanko, Sailor Lethe and Sailor Mnemosyne, and Sailor Galaxia are all more than just "evil"; they have established backstories and motivations behind what they do and distinguishable personalities. So is Kaolinite in Sailor Moon Crystal, which was supervised by Takeuchi, becoming more sympathetic than just the wicked witch she was in the manga. And of course, Evil Endymion and Black Lady are corrupted heroes.

Meanwhile, we also have Queen Metalia, Wiseman / Death Phantom, Pharaoh 90 and Mistress 9, Zirconia / Queen Nehelenia and Chaos, who are intentionally devoid of nuance because they are supposed to be pure evil. Yes, the anime changed that in regards to Zirconia / Queen Nehelenia and that worked well (in SuperS anyway, fuck Sailor Stars), but that doesn't make Takeuchi's take any less valid or effective for her version of the story.

So which villains are just one-note and existing to be fought and killed in the manga?

Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite, Koan, Berthier, Petz, Calaveras, Chiral and Achiral, Eudial, Mimete, Viluy, Tellu, Cyprine/Ptilol, Fish Eye, Tiger's Eye, Hawk's Eye, Xenotime and Zeolite, Sailor Iron Mouse, Sailor Aluminum Seiren, Sailor Lead Crow, Sailor Heavy Metal Papillon, Sailor Phi and Chi, and basically all of the Dark Agency's roster serving under Danburite.

And here's where I must mount a defense of Takeuchi. Yes, the anime fleshes many of those villains out greatly and I am happy for it. However, it is a fallacy to treat their roles in the manga the same as they were in the anime. In the anime, these characters are part of a formula that positions them as Subordinate Villains, the ones who control the Monsters-of-the-Week. But the manga worked differently. It was a monthly publication, with each arc lasting around a year and the chapters' contents plotted out in advance. In that more limited timeframe, these villains were not controllers of the Monsters-of-the-Week; they were the Monsters-of-the-Week...er, I mean, Monsters-of-the-Month. Complaining about them not being well developed is kind of like complaining that any Youma, Droid, Daimon, Lemures or Phage in the anime isn't well-developed. It's kind of missing the point. And yes, I know that Kunzite, Tin Nyanko, and Lethe/Mnemosyne are also technically among this type of character yet they were more strongly humanized in what time they had, but they're exceptions and not the rule (with Kunzite it happened due to personal fondness Takeuchi felt toward him; and for the others it was due to the need to flesh out Shadow Galactica as an organization, showing both the validity behind why many of its members joined and the ultimate mistake it was due to Sailor Galaxia's psychopathic ruthlessness toward any she deems failures or traitors).

So there you have it. By and large, yes, I do prefer the anime's takes on villains. But Naoko Takeuchi's writing for villains doesn't suck, it's just meeting the needs of a different medium.

[aimfor-theheart]

i saw you say you're ready to die on the fact that gojo has mommy issues... would i be overstepping if i ask for some thoughts 👀

not overstepping AT ALL. pls. i could talk ab this forever. do you understand the can of worms you just opened. i’ve been staring at this for the last hour trying to speed through the rest of my work so i could answer it.

alright so LISTEN. i jUST THINK. gojo’s mother is horrid. i think she is both obsessed with and resents gojo for being her god-child. he’s her only son. her perfect son. he both can do no wrong and is coveted by her and also will never be enough for her. or maybe can never repent or be good enough for her? i guess i just imagine the type of woman that gave birth to a god-child in her own right. did he tear her apart? does she hate him for it? does she wish it’d been her? and that she wasn’t just The Mother? was he her blessing or her curse? i imagine she deeply spoiled him and also was hyper critical of him. i think perhaps she even used him in that terrible emotional way mothers can do with their sons—if her marriage was unfulfilling or an arranged marriage—she used gojo’s love in replacement of the love she wasn’t receiving from his father. or the other men in her life. i think he was a momma’s boy who also deeply resented her. i think she taught him what love looked like and that love looked like curses; or that all the strongest curses come from love, anyways.

i think she’d be the worst mother in law to have maybe ever lol.

i’m also very interested in mother dynamics in stories in general—and in specifically fantasy stories, i guess. i think often in fantasy stories mothers unconditionally love their sons; all he has to do is be hers, whether her bastard or her boy-prince or her villain or her hero. but daughters in fantasy stories often receive their mother’s ire (i mean this is often true in real life, too) but the daughter often receives her mother’s trauma and is often the carrier of both generational and cultural trauma. in fantasy stories, mothers are often the son’s only comfort in a difficult world. daughters don’t usually receive that comfort or in any case carry their mother far more heavily than the sons. which does, in many ways, reflect our reality HOWEVER i am also deeply interested in flipping this trope and i think gojo just is perfect for it. i look at him and i see mommy issues lol.

i’ll stop rambling and leave you with this little scene that is already on the cutting floor and will not be included in my massive dark arranged marriage gojo fic because i’ve decided it needs to always remain in the reader’s pov:

[acourtofthought]

Re: Elain x Aidas theory.

The theory stemmed from Elain’s Pinterest board, where SJM included a few Hades x Persephone images.

Another name for Hades, is Aidas.

Then Elain obviously has many parallels to Persephone. Persephone was the Goddess of Spring (perhaps explaining the flowers on Elain’s drawer), and her powers revolve around light and life - which many theorise that Elain’s will be as well. Persephone’s sacred animal was also a deer, and SJM repeatedly links Elain to deer (ie. trembling fawn).

Some people then argued that the images could be about Azriel and Elain, or that Feyre and Rhys were already the Hades and Persephone retelling… but then in SJM’s Pinterest board for Crescent City, there was an image of a “demon king” who looked like Aidas, embracing a petite woman, wearing a beautiful flower dress - who looked just like Elain.

Then in Crescent City, we see Hunt and Bryce communicate with Apollion (the 7th Prince of Hel) when they are asleep, and they talk in a “dream world” or “realm.” In ACOWAR, Elain comments that she’s “always dreaming,” and that this dream state is described as a “murky realm.” So, people then wondered if Aidas has been communicating with Elain this whole time - through her sleep/dreams.

Then if SJM is going ahead with the full crossover, people think that Elain’s book could actually take place in Hel (and that she might already be there, given that she wasn’t at the townhouse with everyone else at the end of HOSAB). Aidas would teach her to world walk, she’d uncover some of the biggest secrets in the SJM universe. Most importantly, we know Bryce wanted to rally Hel’s armies, but was taken to Prythian instead. But Elain can rally them.

It also directly ties into Azriel and Lucien. Azriel is pretty obviously connected to the Princes of Hel in some way (there’s many theories that he either descends from a Prince of Hel, or *is* a Prince of Hel). Lucien also has the power of light and fire, the two weaknesses of the Princes of Hel. We also know Elain will likely face off with Koschei, given that he’s the remaining ACOTAR villain… but it’s very likely that he too is connected to Hel.

That’s just a brief summary. Idk how I feel - it’s not elucien, but it’s better than the other competing Elain ships. Aidas is a beautiful man 👀

I think it's natural that we all spot certain things / similarities and build theories around them. We can find supporting information throughout every book she's written and use it to prove why a ship is a possibility.

Cassian and Elain could have been a possibility considering he's the one who first wanted her to have a weapon in ACOWAR and he's the one who first declared they were getting her back after she was kidnapped.

But ships only stand up when the counter arguments don't easily pull them apart.

Cassian / Elain as a pairing didn't hold up because of the Mate coded language he shared with Nesta.

Likewise, whatever people are using to make Aidas / Elain a possible thing doesn't hold up when placed under scrutiny.

SJM definitely seems to have used a Hades and Persephone retelling for ACOMAF. Rhys, who is considered an evil dark lord at first, steals away a future bride of Spring for for a specified period of time.

Elain is not "Persephone" right now. She's not even associated with Spring yet though there are hints she'll end up there. But if a major point of her story is finding her way to that Court, helping to heal it as well as meeting Vassa and helping free her from Koschei (who is not the same thing as a creature of Hel considering Hel is the land of the dead while Koschei cannot be killed), it's not leaving a lot of time to travel between realms.

Are there Sunshine and flowers in Hel? When cruelty canonically bothers Elain and the entire point of SF was pointing out how she's not thriving in the NC much as she's trying to be (I'm guessing the cruelty of the Hewn City is a cake walk compared to what goes on in Hel), how would Hel be more well suited for her? Not to mention she did not delight in having to kill the King so it would be ooc for her to be driven to rally armies for another war. I'm not saying Elain won't play her own part in whatever war is coming but I don't think it's going to be her getting the troops to fall in line while giving motivational speeches about needing to kill, kill, kill the enemy!

I think any tags on SJMs Pinterest showing a dark demon sort with a female in flowers was either Feysand pins or E/riel pins. Not necessarily because E/riel was meant to be together but because she did plan on them having something (just as Dorian had something with Celaena. A romantic interlude still doesn't mean endgame).

Also, Elain felt she was dreaming because she was having visions that weren't clear to her and she didn't understand what was going on but once they figured out she was a Seer, she no longer felt she was dreaming all the time.

And finally, SJM said the crossover is not going to impact both series to the point that they can't stand on their own. So my guess is we're not going to see any crossover relationships.

So whatever hints people are seeing seem less to me that she's building a romantic pairing and more the fact that SJM uses similar words and phrases throughout all three series.

That's the tricky part, sorting through what's common language and figuring out what is intentional endgame coding. With Elain and Aidas, I think it's the former.

It's always amusing how SJM makes it a point to note Elain and Lucien's extremely similar personalities, giving them the same wording her other endgame couples have had (longing, a life shackled to me, a thread), that she changed Lucien's father to make him the Heir to Day (the sun personified) then telling us that Elain needs sunshine but that very purposeful change to a characters parentage is something Anti's overlook while picking out the most obscure details in order to ship Elain with everyone else.

[twistedtummies2]

Top 10 Castlevania Dracula Boss Themes

While Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” is most often associated with All Hallow’s Eve, many people don’t realize that the original novel was actually published in May. In fact, World Dracula Day - commemorating the publication of this seminal work of literature - is May 26th, every year. I’ve been on a Dracula kick basically all year now, by this point, due to various things…and I’ve decided, with this in mind, it’s time to give another spotlight on one of my favorite stories and characters. So, I’m declaring this entire month of May to be “Dracula Month!” Throughout this month, I will be uploading various little lists (and, in two cases, re-releasing old countdowns in an updated format) all related in some way to the King of the Vampires. And there’s no better place to start the celebration than with one of my favorite versions of Dracula, from one of my favorite video game franchises: Castlevania.

While Dracula isn’t directly battled in every Castlevania game, his specter looms large across the series. From the Classic games to the “Lords of Shadow” Reboot Trilogy, even if Dracula doesn’t appear as the final boss or main antagonist, he’s ALWAYS present in some form or another. As the main villain of the entire franchise, the Count of Transylvania has rarely been shown as persistent or as powerful as he is in these great games. And of course, with so many boss battles with Dracula in so many games…there must also come a great number of boss themes.

The music of Castlevania is one of its strongest points, and Dracula’s many battle themes are no exception. Some are more well-known or more frequently used than others, but it’s interesting to hear just many different musical stylings and compositions have been attributed to the Prince of Darkness throughout the franchise. So, I’m going to countdown my ten favorite Dracula boss themes from throughout the Castlevania series, just for a lark. I should point out I’m specifically focusing on the games and their boss battles, so you won’t be seeing any music from the (most excellent) animated series here. Also, I am specifically talking about boss themes, so any other pieces of music attributed to Dracula won’t be discussed, at least not in this list. BUT ENOUGH TALK! These are my Top 10 Dracula Boss Themes from Castlevania! HAVE AT THEE!

10. Black Banquet, from Symphony of the Night.

Considering “Symphony of the Night” is widely regarded as one of the best Castlevania games ever, if not the best - and with one of the greatest soundtracks of the series to boot - it’s funny that I often feel the final battle with Dracula in the game tends to get overlooked. More people seem to remember the impossible-to-lose Prologue opening battle between Richter and the Count, both musically and in terms of the fight overall. There are lots of reasons why, but while while the final battle with Dracula in “Symphony” may not be his absolute best encounter as a boss, and “Black Banquet” isn’t usually people’s first choice for a great Dracula boss theme, I don’t think this piece of music is bad at all. There’s a low, deep, pumping quality to the music, which really gives a sense of size and dread to this final duel between Alucard and his father. It’s a fittingly eerie sort of theme, tense and low, almost like something from a modern stealth/survival horror title. It may not be the most memorable or the most popular, but it’s far from terrible.

9. Creatures in the Depth, from Castlevania Chronicles.

Yes, for those who don’t know, it’s “Depth” not “Depths.” Don’t ask me why. Anyway, I’m specifically talking about the Arranged version of this theme. A lot of older, more “retro” sounding, “bit-based” music themes tend to be hit or miss from me. I generally prefer things that have a more symphonic or orchestral sort of sound quality. Whichever version you listen to, however, this is a pretty fun theme for Dracula. This tune plays during the first stage of the Count’s boss fight. It’s one of the fastest-paced themes on the list, and has a sort of theatricality to it. There’s a sort of “bouncing off the walls” quality to the piece. The rhythm actually weirdly seems to sync up with Dracula’s frequently teleporting around the arena, almost like a warning sign of when he’s going to pop up next, and gives this final “en-Count-er” a sort of “rock star” quality. My only problem with the theme, and why it ranks so low, is that it’s very short; the soundtrack release has to loop the track at least three times, because the full piece in total is less than a minute. Some of the other themes on this countdown ARE on the short side, mind you, but none of them are THIS brief. Still, short as it is, it’s not bad.

8. Order of the Demon, from Harmony of Despair.

This theme first appeared in the game “Order of Ecclesia,” and while I think it’s fine there…once again, I prefer the more “full” version, in terms of instrumental style and quality, from the game “Harmony of Despair.” In that game, this theme plays during the first two stages of Dracula’s boss fight. (It changes to the tune “Dance of Illusions” in the final stage, which we’ll get to later.) “Harmony of Despair” took several classic themes from throughout the franchise’s history, and reworked them into a sort of symphonic rock or metal style. However, for “Order of the Demon,” they eschewed electric guitars and other such instrumental choices in favor of a more straightforward, orchestral sound, with heavy focus on brass and percussion. Like “Creatures in the Depth,” this is a very wild-sounding theme, with a rapid tempo, and I like it for similar reasons as a result. It’s a bit longer and has more variation to the way it plays with the melody though, which is ultimately what makes it stand out above the previous choice.

7. The Vampire’s Stomach, from Castlevania X Michiru Yamane: Autobiography Music.

Wow, what a title. If you’re wondering what game that title comes from…it’s not from any game. That’s really the primary reason this one gets a lower ranking, you see: the track itself IS found in a Castlevania game, but this specific ARRANGEMENT is not. Confused? Well, here’s the succinct version of things: Michiru Yamane is a composer who has worked on several Castlevania games, such as “Bloodlines” and the aforementioned “Symphony of the Night.” However (supposedly), she felt a bit disappointed with the way some of the tracks in Bloodlines, in particular, came out: that game came out on the SEGA Genesis, and the musical capabilities of that system weren’t able to live up to Yamane’s fullest desires. A special CD, with the above title, allowed Yamane to create more symphonic-sounding arrangements of some of her themes from Bloodlines that she wished could have been done a bit differently, among them being Dracula’s boss fight from that game, “The Vampire’s Stomach.” The arranged version is five minutes long and is extremely interesting; it would have been great to hear this rendition in an actual game of the series at some point. It still would be! But since it technically never did, and the original “Bloodlines” version, I have to admit, isn’t one I’m ESPECIALLY fond of (if I were ranking just that original take, this track would be at least a little lower in the ranks), I don’t think it’s fair to put it any higher. It still sounds awesome, though…and while the title is a bit odd, I love it, too, for the record.

6. Banquet of Madness, from Portrait of Ruin.

This is the theme that accompanies my single favorite boss fight in the entire Castlevania series, which is honestly the main reason it ranks as highly as it does: that’s just good background to help boost any theme, frankly. In this battle, you’re not only fighting Count Dracula, but also the secondary antagonist of the series: his right-hand skeleton, the Grim Reaper himself, Death. You could argue that means this doesn’t count for the list, since it isn’t JUST Dracula being fought…but a.) Dracula is doing most of the work (though Death playing support certainly helps to make this fight all the more challenging and memorable), b.) it follows the typical “formula” of a Dracula battle in these games, and c.) this is my list, so I make the rules. Ha! Anyway, this is another short, rather wild sort of theme, but I think that wild tone fits better here than anywhere else. You have to deal with two enemies during this fight, both of whom are very powerful, and both of whom are constantly on the move, throughout the first stage. When Dracula “absorbs” Death to help himself take on his “true form,” you’d think having just one target would make things easier, but no: the fight only gets even more intense at that point, as Dracula flies around using more devastating and frequent attacks than ever. The phrase “Madness” certainly begets the situation.

5. Dracula’s Room/Simon Belmont’s Theme, from Super Castlevania IV.

This one (well…really, these two) can be considered truly classic. It’s one of the most iconic and well-liked themes for Dracula battles in the Castlevania library, and I think there are two reasons why: one is the context, the other is the unique tone. Both of which sort of go hand-in-hand. Contextually, throughout the final stage of this game, the music is rocky and strong, very heroic and forward-driving. It rarely lets up the pace and rhythm, urging you to charge forward and make it to the end in this final gauntlet of chaotic evil. But after you defeat Death…suddenly, the music just cuts out, and for a moment there’s silence. Then, “Dracula’s Room” begins to play, as you make your way through the lonely halls towards the Count’s private chambers for the final duel. This theme is haunting, slow, almost sorrowful, with a sort of bitterness to it; it isn’t a grand, sweeping, adrenaline-fueled piece, but something cold and almost ethereal. It’s the sound of two old enemies, both of whom know this is the end, finally coming face to face for one last struggle. It’s a tonal jump from the rest of the stage that catches you off guard and unnerves you, and it makes the battle with Dracula all the more memorable. When Dracula gets down to his last several bars of health, and begins the second stage of his fight, the music changes to the more triumphant-sounding, mighty “Simon Belmont’s Theme,” almost like a pep talk to the player that you’ve almost won, or like Simon finally gaining the upper hand as Dracula grows more desperate. Separate, both themes are great, but when combined, they create a great story told through music. The only reason this DOESN’T rank higher is because, again, I prefer more symphonic/orchestral pieces to the more “retro” sounding music here…but as far as “retro” pieces go, this is one that has really stood the test of time well.

4. Final Fight, from Mirror of Fate.

In direct contrast to the previous choice, this is one that I feel is underrated, and goes in quite the opposite direction. “Mirror of Fate” was one of three games made for the “Lords of Shadow” reboot of the Castlevania games. These three games were an attempt to update and modernize the series, changing up the lore a bit (well…a lot, really) and using gameplay and aesthetic stylings influenced heavily by the “God of War” franchise. Fans of Castlevania are mixed about these creative decisions, but I personally didn’t mind them. While none of the three were perfect, I think they still stand as good games…and of the three, “Mirror of Fate” was my favorite. It was an attempt to combine the classic gameplay style of sidescrolling Castlevania games of yesteryear with the lore and aesthetics of the other “Lords of Shadow” titles. In the other two games, Dracula is actually the main protagonist…but as part of the “return to form” style of “Mirror of Fate,” in this title, Dracula is finally the main villain again. The Lord of the Vampires is fought twice in the game, and both battles use this theme. Fitting with the style of the LoS trilogy, this has a heavy, pounding, rhythmic, “epic” sound to it, with a lot of grit and toughness, but still carries strange of Gothic, almost operatic power typical to the Count as a character. There’s a twinge of bitterness and sadness to this theme, along with a heavy dose of bold horror; not only a result of our main character in other titles now playing the role of the villain, but the tragic circumstances that surround both duels with the Son of the Dragon in this game. It’s not a theme a lot of other Castlevania fans would likely place on their Top 10, let alone so high up, but I think it’s worthy of my own countdown.

3. Nothing to Lose/Black Night, from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

“Super Smash” may not ACTUALLY be a Castlevania game, but there’s a Castlevania world, and you CAN fight Dracula in it. You can even play one of the Belmont clan, no less! So I’m still counting it. (Also, technically these themes first showed up in “Harmony of Despair,” I think. So if Smash Bros. doesn’t count, that title DEFINITELY does.) These are actually remixes of Dracula’s boss themes from the very first “Castlevania” game, released all the way back in 1986. Those old themes are as retro as retro gets, and while they have a certain charm, I MUCH prefer these new arrangements, which combine high-flying Gothic strings and choral darkness with a screaming electric guitar and (literal) banging drums. “Nothing to Lose” plays during the first stage of Count Dracula’s battle in the game, while “Black Night” kicks in during the second stage. These were glorious, rocking-good reinventions of arguably the most classic of classic Castlevania Dracula battle themes; returning the series to its roots and revving things up to a hundred at the same time. While they did originate in “Harmony of Despair,” like I said, I will always remember them and appreciate them best for their use in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, as they really helped to create the “Castlevania Package” for the game, so to speak.

2. Toccata Into Blood-Soaked Darkness, from Curse of Darkness.

“Curse of Darkness” has one of my favorite soundtracks in the Castlevania franchise, if not my favorite, so it stands to reason Dracula would have a great theme here. Much like with “Creatures in the Depth,” this tune plays during the first stage of Dracula’s boss battle, and far outshines the theme that follows it. Alongside “Dracula’s Room” and our number one pick (still to come), this seems to be considered one of Dracula’s absolute “signature” themes. It’s one a lot of people name as one of their favorites, if not their favorite, and for good reason. This theme is absolutely DRENCHED in Gothic power and decadent gloom. The virtuosic organ leitmotif that runs throughout gives the theme a sense of grandeur, while also driving it onward with its remarkable speed. The music starts out as a slight slow burn, with lower, darker, colder tones under the surface, which eventually crescendo, as the music grows wilder and more intense, matching the rising intensity of the fight itself. You hear this theme, and you just think “Dracula.” Plain and simple.

1. Dance of Illusions, from Dracula X Chronicles.

Also sometimes titled “Illusionary Dance,” I guess depending on translation. While the Toccata is a theme where you hear it and just think “Dracula,” this theme is one I hear and specifically, automatically think “Castlevania’s Dracula,” as well as, indeed, Castlevania in general. While this whole list has proven that the Count has had many unique variations on his boss music over the course of the franchise, “Dance of Illusions” is the track most recognized as Dracula’s “official” theme in the series. Originating in the game “Rondo of Blood,” this theme has since shown up in numerous Castlevania games as Dracula’s boss theme for at least one stage of his fight, if not the entire battle as a whole. This theme combines the Gothic darkness and power of the Toccata with the sort of swooping, theatrical sound that themes like “Creatures in the Depth” and “Banquet of Madness” have. When I hear this theme, it’s impossible for me to NOT imagine Dracula in his usual attack mode for the series, swirling his cape and laughing tauntingly as he uses his magic to combat the player. I knew this theme would be my number one from the start, and revisiting it did not change my mind…the hard part was figuring out which arrangement I would use. Some versions of this tune I considered include the ones from “Symphony of the Night,” “Legacy of Darkness,” and the recent homage “Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania.” Ultimately, however, I decided my favorite arrangement is from “Dracula X Chronicles,” which was - coincidentally - a remake of the original game this came from, “Rondo of Blood.” It’s the most dramatic, the most intense, and accompanies my single favorite solo battle with the Count (my second favorite Dracula boss after “Portrait of Ruin,” overall) in the entire franchise. While it is admittedly on the short side, clocking in at about a minute-and-a-half before looping, it makes FULL use of the length it has, and is therefore my favorite interpretation of the theme I best recognize as Dracula’s theme within this franchise. Therefore, it is more than deserving of recognition as number one on this countdown. Case dismissed.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

The Devil’s Revival, from The Adventure ReBirth. (Very retro theme, and a fun one. ‘Nuff said.)

Metamorphosis to the Black Abyss of Death, from Curse of Darkness. (I liked the first battle’s theme more, but this one is good, too.)

You Goddamned Bathead, from Castlevania Chronicles. (Best. Title. Ever. XD Again, like with Curse of Darkness, just liked the first theme more.)

The Darkness That Chills Men’s Hearts, from Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. (Wasn’t sure if this one should count, since the battle is against a creature called “Inner Dracula” and the player’s character is Dracula himself. However, for that same exact reason, it seemed like it should at least be an Honorable Mention.)

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 3.5/5

Book Blurb: Arlo and her friends must decide how far they’re willing to go to depose a cruel ruler in this third book in the Hollow Star Saga that’s The Cruel Prince meets City of Bones.

The die is cast. The era of Spring is over.

Riadne’s bloody coup on the Summer Solstice changed Arlo’s life forever. In one fell swoop and a fool’s bargain, she lost both her family and free will to the newly crowned High Queen. Now, with Arlo forced to use her powers as Luck’s Hollow Star to help summon the rest of the seven deadly sins, Riadne stands closer than ever to achieving her dark goals.

And Arlo isn’t the only one trapped in a frightening new role. Her ex-Fury girlfriend, Nausicaä, is determined to do whatever it takes to stay by Arlo’s side, even if that means becoming Riadne’s pet assassin. Aurelian and Vehan, torn apart, struggle to survive on their own.

Meanwhile, Celadon has been revealed as Riadne’s illegitimate son—and heir to both Spring and Summer, the ultimate offense in the faerie world. But the High Prince has secret plans of his own, plans made all the more complicated when the beautiful and deadly immortal Hunter Lethe takes an interest in him…

Five budding legacies will need more than luck if they hope to stand a chance against the greatest adversary the Courts have faced. For nothing’s more dangerous than a faerie tale… except the one who tells it, and maybe what they’re going to need is no longer that story’s hero but its villain.

Review:

A new Queen has taken the bone crown, a prince turned king must plot to destroy his new family, a fury will give up everything for love, and the die will cast a new path for all of them. Riadne is the new queen after killing all of Arlo's family and revealing that she is Celadon's mother. She forced Arlo to be bound to her and plans on reviving all the seven Sins and reshaping the world to her liking. Arlo is determined to find a way to fix everything, and her sort of girlfriend Nausica, fury, will do anything to protect her, even become the new queen's controlled assassin if it means saving Arlo. Meanwhile Celadon is dealing with the death of his family and the reveal of his new mother, and who he truly is and the power he has. On top of that there is a strange connection between him and Lethe, the deadly Hunter who has his own plan yet seems to be willing to do anything for Celadon. This book further explores Lethe's past (he is the son of a titan, Luck and the god of death but was forced into Atlantis to be trained (tortured for years) and his only solace was his friendship with the Moon... who sacrificed their life for his revenge. Lethe has been trying to get revenge and find a way to find his Moon again... and who just happens to bear the same tattoo that Lethe has... Celadon. This book really had the most interesting relationship between Celadon and Lethe, like I could do with an entire book about their relationship. They were the main focus of this book and I loved them. Celadon and Lethe have both gone through so much yet are willing to do anything to protect the other, they're both playing their own games in this terrible situation with Riadne, and I am sat for my Grim and Sunken Kings. Besides them, the rest of the book/couples felt kind of lackluster and a bit slow... the only thing that kept me so invested was Celadon and Lethe. They had the best storyline and the most interesting character dynamic and personality. There is a fourth book coming and I will be reading it just to see where they go with the story and the rest of the characters. This series is a saga, so honestly I don't know how many more books there are going to be. My one big gripe with these books is that they are all over 500+ pages and most of the time it's unnecessary, it truly could be shaved down because the story feels so dragged on and other chapters and events feel kind of pointless..... but anyways, I digress. I'd have to say this is my favorite book from the series so far, it truly is the best of the three and I am curious how the next one will go.

*Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[schibi12]

Hiya! So about a year ago I posted a sort of rant and rough concept idea I had of doing my own take of Descendants and Ever After High which you can read here

Well after months of thinking, creating, scribbling and sleepless nights I finally have a what I think a good enough concept to post.

To start things off I want to clarify that this is my own personal take on descendants and Ever After High idea of Fairy Tales characters having children and following their lives and adventures, with this being my version of this concept there are many differences from that being

No relation to Disney Characters, my characters are gonna be more related to the original fairy tales than the Disney versions but there might be smol references to Disney

No Legacy thing, yeah the children here are not gonna repeat their parents story

My characters are still kids, so no teenagers in high school but more like kids who are in middle school,there will be characters who are teenagers and older but I want to focus on the hopes, dreams and fears of growing up especially during that awkward age

I think that's all the aspects in case there are more or I forgot I will mention them in future posts

In this post I am gonna present some characters with some visual guides/moodboards I did for each of them respectively

Dawn and Jour - Children of Sleeping Beauty

Fraternal twins who where once inseparable but now are somewhat estranged, both booklovers since childhood.

Dawn is an optimist, kind, fun-loving daydreamer, very feminine who loves tea parties, balls and sewing, a romantic at heart who loves making friends and the happiness of others, and she also has the magical power to see and control others dream's

Jour a realist with dreams and yearning to explore the world, and values courage and chivalry, he wants to be a traveling knight like the one in the stories and books, he likes horse riding and sword fighting, and even though he and his sister are estranged don't even dare to give a bad look to her cause his protective brother instincts take over.

Rowan - Child of The Dark Fae

The eponymous dark fae who cursed Sleeping Beauty to an eternal slumber, he is the first child to be of "villain" origin to get into the Academy so everybody expects to be this bold, manipulative, cruel, revenge thirsty individual which he is the exact opposite of, he is this timid, anxious and kind, who enjoys practicing and studying magic, being with his pet Raven Orphée and spending time with his mom, but this being his first time away from home and his mom and then being ostracized in school lets just say he is not having a grand time but things do get better.

Cerelia - Child of The Fairy Godmother

The resident queen bee/mean girl of the academy, and with her being not only the daughter of the famed Fairy Godmother who is also the headmistress of the academy she is certainly considered royalty around the school, she is selfish and has a mean streak but to her closest friends is deeply caring and loyal to them, a young lady who enjoys the pretty things in life and loves playing in her clavichord and may or may not abuse her magical powers for her own personal gain.

Anara - Child of The Frog Prince

A rambunctious young lady who adores exploring the surrounding forests and swamps of the Academy, collecting and studying the many plants in it, an active, stubborn and unruly, she is loyal to her friends, and even though her mother wants her to be a prim and proper princess to attend balls and tea parties, but she couldn't care less and just wants to go on at adventures.

Leif - Child of Snow White

A darling gentleman, who is naive, generous and gentle kid who really likes cooking and baking, cleaning and sewing which comes into conflict with his dad who wants him to be a courageous and chivalrous knight but he can't fight with a sword to save his life...literally

And that's all for today one day i will give them better and more formal character sheets but that's all I have at the moment and I hope you enjoyed and I will see you real soon!

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

Hi from France! (bien le bonjour donc)

I would like to know your feelings / opinions about the ST. Are you okay with episodes 7, 8 & 9? Or you don't like them maybe?

Thanks for sharing.

Bonne journée 😊

Saluuuuut and sorry I'm only now getting back to you.

I think I might have talked about that a while back but I don't recall for sure. Basically, I'm only "okay" with them in the sense I fairly enjoyed watching TFA and TLJ - I don't consider them part of Star Wars tho. I like the characters well enough, Finn especially, (I'm not too fond of Poe, which I'm told is a crime around these parts xD), but there were already so many issues with the trilogy overall that I never watched TROS. I know the plot, etc, but I knew I'd never be able to get through it - tbh it made me despise the ST all by itself.

For one thing, I was never too fond of the trope that just recycles the conflicts of the last generation and wrecks the happily ever after we'd already gotten. Like "you thought the Empire was gone? ah! you dumb dumbs! that only happens in fairy tales, realistically the power vacuum would lead to the rise of new, equally authoritarian dictatorships!" Okay, cool, but I thought I was watching a fairy tale. That's what the end of ROTJ was about. So yeah, suffice to say that by ROTS I was absolutely seething wasn't thrilled that Palps wasn't gone. Also didn't like that Han and Leia broke up, also didn't like what they did to Luke, also didn't like the back and forth retcons between the three films, etc etc.

The real contender for my absolute hatred is the hype around Kyle Ron. I didn't dislike him as a villain (he was pretty okay in fact) but the dreamy dark bad boy turned Disney prince that people made him out to be, to the detriment of Finn especially, was a huge reason for my lack of interest. What they did with Finn was absolutely inexcusable imo.

I also like the clunky effects of the Prequels, so the more polished look isn't quite for me.

So yeah, bof. All in all, I'm not big on extended universes. I'm big on coherence, and on being able to take in the story in its entirety and study it, and pick it apart. When a story isn't plotted from beginning to end by a select few group with a singular vision, it's not a story, it's something else. It can be great, but it's not what I'm looking for. So when I talk about Star Wars, I think of Lucas' six movies and TCW. (Sometimes Rebels bc it's really close in spirit to TCW.) The rest (other shows, comics, etc) is in support of that, and if something isn't perfectly aligned with those then I don't bother to include it in my understanding of the story.

(For ex, I really enjoyed the Obi-Wan show but I don't consider it in line with the movies, so to me it's no more "what happened" than the ST or some decades old contradictory Legends content. It's all fan content of various degrees of quality.)

Thanks for the ask!

[duckingwriting]

Original WIPS

Unnamed Fantasy Western Thrupple. Still working on a title. Erotica/Romance. Clara is a runaway human female who finds herself in the company of a pair of outlaws, the elf Andrew and the Orc Herbert. If I get disowned by my father this story will be why. #OrcElfHuman

Tricera-tops, monster fucking and probably needs a better title. Ideally will be part of a series for now nammed Jur-ASS-ic. Traveling through a portal to another planet, Kathrin doesn't know the language, the beings are all strange. They are vaguly humanoid except they're covered in scales or feathers and have some features that remind her too much of earth's dinosaurs. And the one who saved her when she was nearly eaten, she is horrified to find herself attracted to. It's not like humans have fated mates for her to understand the concept, outside of books after all. And Tegid will do anything for his fated mate. #Tricera-tops and #Jur-ASS-ic 

You Spino Me Right ‘Round - is an even rougher working title for another novella/novelette in the series. Vitale is happy alone. He keeps people out of his territory by any means necessary. Ignores the invites to celebrate the finding of the prince’s mate. A strange little mass of flesh that Vitale thinks would have made a better snack than mate. So when he stumbles upon another of those strange beings he is horrified to discover the small creature with wide terrified eyes smells an awful lot like his mate. #YouSpinoMe

Super Gay Ass Fucking Comic - comic script with a romance between the super hero and the villain. Nik was the poster boy for what a hero should be. But when he's assigned to guard Lykos, a former villain who had tried to kill his family, so the man can build weapons for the government, Nik starts to see the world in a different light. And the good guys don't seem to be standing in the light any more, more like they seem to be in the light only because they keep so many others locked in the dark. And to top it off he fears he may be falling in love with Lykos. #SGAFC

Werewolf "Beauty and the Beast" - I say that in quotes because I've quickly derailed from that origin. But we have Priamos who is a the alpha of one of the biggest packs. He has pressure to take a mate but he wants to find his true mate and not settle for just anyone. Amatus has been selected to be a sacrificed to the beasts in the yearly ritual. He knows they are a monsters but never expected them to be werewolves. #PriamosAmatus

Bear Coffee Shop - Small town shifter romance. A couple different pairings of shifters. #BearCoffee

Various OC drabbles too. Some of my OCs aren't in stories other than quick snips here and there. #OCStory #OriginalWork

[zelphin124]

I wanted to make a post introducing the characters of my fantasy trilogy: The Fergen. Coming soon!

ALL WORK IS COPYRIGHTED! DO NOT REPOST! (Reblogging is okay)

Vera: main character

Vera is a half fergen half human. She is very naive and joyful, but has little to no experience with the world. She lives in a abusive and neglectful household before she ran away with Rebekah. She then slowly starts to learn the real dangers of the world. Not only does she learn that people can be nice to her, but she also learns that there's people with even more ill intent than what she experienced that home. She is a peacemaker and always tries to see the best in people.

(Art made by my friend)

Rebekah: side-main character

(My gosh she's my favorite. Technically my character) Rebekah is a person who is a half human and a half Phoenix. Her parents died when she was very young and she had to learn to live on the streets. She was abused repeatedly by many people that she came in contact with until she met Verity. Verity was an overwatcher Who is the main villain of the story. She was mistreated by him and did his dirty work until she figured out what he was actually doing. When she finally left him, she tried to go into dark jobs such as assassination and arson, she was feared amongst many and always shoved her trauma away in the back of her mind, forgetting it. She is very stoic and logical but can get worked up easily. She is powerful but oftentimes try to protect herself even if it means to harm others. She's not sure how she feels about Vera when they first meet, but Rebekah offers to help her before they are both killed. They go on an adventure together and Rebekah soon learns that there are good people in the world.

(This art is from some sort of league of legends thing, so I do not claim this art. But it captures her idea pretty well.)

Garrison: side-main character

Literally everyone's favorite character I don't even understand why. Garrison is a strong and determined man, who grew up in a healthy household until his parents were killed by the authorities. He then ran away and trained under a man named Jake, who took care of him but was not nice to him. He held on to his morals that his parents taught him as he entered the dark jobs, hating every kill that he did. He then made it his life mission to save the realms from the OverWatcher, which he said out to find all of the Crest pieces in order to do so. He tag along with a dwabit Sabastion and search for the pieces until he ran into Vera and Rebekah. They tagged along with him as they went to complete the mission. Garrison is a half human half dragon, he has a bad temper and is very angry, and he also has a lot of trauma. However, he has good morals and he soon learns that sometimes people just need a little bit of love.

(Art made as a commission)

Sabastion: side-main character

Sabastion is a half hobbit half dwarf, or a dwabit. He is the comedic relief character, and is very very stupid. He grew up to be the smartest dwarf in his time and invented many things, but wizards sought after his intelligence and took it from him, his family abandoning him after he was stupid soon after. He wandered around until he ran into Garrison, Who would protect him if he would cook for him. Sebastian stuck by Garrison side ever since, making more of a challenge for Garrison instead of helping, but Garrison enjoyed the company and like Sebastian so he kept him around. Sabastion learns that he can relearn the things that he wants knew and that you don't have to be perfect to be loved. He is very dumb and whiny and always hungry. However, he has some strange nuggets of wisdom and is very loyal.

(Art made by my friend)

Lorry: side- character

I'm only including him here because he is very favorited amongst the fergen fandom. Lorry a prince and the middle child. He protects his kingdom and wants to bring his kingdom back together from the separation of the males and females. He's quirky and fun, but sometimes his intentions are unclear. He can be cocky at times and it drives Garrison insane. But he also knows how to talk people out the things, which comes in handy.

Verity: Villain

Verity is an OverWatcher who seeks to destroy The realms. He's one of the few all-powerful creatures and is a master at manipulation. Over the course of a thousand years he has either executed or manipulated halflings, aka the species of our main characters, and how they are half a species and a half another. He wants the realms to destroy themselves, whether that is with or without the Crest. He seeks revenge after someone he lost, but evil runs deep in his heart as it does for all OverWatchers.